If you are a dog owner, you must have heard about parvo. It is a common dog disease that can be deadly most of the time. According to stats, the mortality rate in adult dogs after contracting parvo is 10%, while in pups, the mortality rate is 90%. As a dog owner, the last thing you would want to hear is that “your dog has parvo disease.” Can puppies survive parvo?
Most of the owners have heard about this virus, but few of them truly understand the dire consequences this deadly virus can have. Therefore you need to have thorough information about this disease, its symptoms, and treatments so you can take timely action if your dog contracts this notorious virus.
What Is Parvo Disease?
The highly contagious canine parvovirus is the causative agent of parvo disease. It is a notorious virus of dogs that is highly contagious and causes death in 91% of cases if not treated properly. Hence it is also called the speedy killer because it causes death within 48 to 72 hours of the infection. However, there is a ray of hope for dogs if the virus is detected promptly and treatment is started quickly. Otherwise, the repercussions can be terrible.
The deadly parvovirus mainly affects the stomach and small intestine of the dog; hence, most of the damage occurs. In the small intestine, this virus damages the cell, thus upsetting the normal absorption mechanism in this organ. Pravo virus, when it affects the puppies, damages some other parts of the body as well. These body parts include bone marrow and lymphopoietic tissues. In rare cases, the virus also affects the heart of the puppies as well. This is the reason why the mortality rate in puppies is much higher.
How to Spot Parvo in Puppies?
Parvo is very easy to spot because the affected dogs are very sick. Keep an eye on the symptoms so you can spot the disease and take the dog to the hospital for immediate medical intervention. Since the chances of mortality in puppies are higher, you should be very cautious whenever your pup feels under the weather because the chances of contracting parvo can’t be overlooked. Here are the most common symptoms of parvo in dogs and pups.
- Vomiting
- Lethargy and weakness
- Bloody diarrhea
- Anorexia
- Loss of appetite
- High fever
- Weight reduction
- Dehydration
- Depression
Are Dogs With Parvo Contagious?
Yes! The dogs with parvo are contagious. Dogs usually start transmitting the virus to others after 4 to 5 days of virus infection. Often, symptoms do not appear soon after the dog is exposed to the virus. So the dog is contagious even before you spot any symptom. This is because the virus takes time to invade the body cells inside the dog’s body.
Puppies shed the virus up to 10 days after recovering from the symptoms of the parvo disease. So you need to keep your recovering puppy isolated from other pets. Moreover, you need to disinfect the whole house after the dog is recovered because the virus survives indoors for about a month and outdoors for several months. So if you don’t follow a disinfection routine using cleaners, your dog might catch the virus again, or any other pet is likely to contract the virus indoors.
How To Treat Dog with Parvo?
There is no proven treatment for the parvo because it is a viral disease. Therefore the medical intervention is focused on treating the symptoms of the infection and strengthening the body’s immune system so it can fight the virus. These treatments are variable depending upon the dog’s condition.
Doctors usually recommend IV fluids to prevent dehydration from severe diarrhea. Antibiotics are prescribed to treat any secondary infection caused by the parvovirus. The doctor might recommend vitamins, prebiotics, anti-nausea medicines, probiotics, electrolytes, and dextrose for overcoming weakness and strengthening the immune system.
Doctors need to keep dogs with parvo under intensive care, so high chances are they will be hospitalized. This adds to the overall treatment cost of the parvo disease. However, this is for the sake of your dog because there are 70 to 90% chances that your dog will survive parvo if it receives medical treatment instantly.
How To Prevent Parvo?
There are two main ways to prevent your dog from contracting parvo.
- Maintain hygienic conditions in the home. Sanitize often.
- Vaccinate the dogs as soon as possible.
As puppies have a weak immune system, they are more likely to be affected by the viral effects. So make sure to vaccinate your pup when it is 6 to 8 weeks old. This is the time of the first dose administration. Later on, doctors give two booster doses with a gap of three weeks.
All three vaccine doses are important for the puppy to gain full protection from the virus. Until then, follow precautions and don’t let your pup mingle with dogs with unknown medical history. Who knows if they are vaccinated or not? Keep your dog isolated up to 3 weeks after the last booster dose. After that, you can take them to public parks and pet-friendly restaurants without any worry.
But still, keep the symptoms in the mind because fully vaccinated dogs have also contracted parvovirus. However, their condition doesn’t get worse because of the vaccine. So keep your dog away from the dog who is sick or has recently recovered from parvo.
Conclusion
Can Puppies Survive Parvo? Parvo is a highly deadly dog virus that causes parvo disease. Especially puppies of 6 weeks to 6 months of age are highly susceptible. The vaccinated dogs have very few chances of getting the parvo virus. Therefore take your dogs for vaccine administration when they are six weeks old. All three doses are necessary for full protection against the notorious dog virus.
You can spot the parvo disease by the symptoms like bloody diarrhea, fever, and vomiting because the virus attacks the stomach and small intestine of the dog. Immediately take your dog to the nearest vet hospital as soon as you notice these symptoms. Your dog will have a high chance of survival if you take it to the hospital for timely treatment.